Need Some Help...

[daron5780]

hi,

i am new to the boards here. i do not know if i have celiac or a gluten sensitivity, or what, but i started out on a gluten, sugar, dairy-free diet @ 2 weeks ago, to kind of test myself. the first 4 days were actually really good, i thought i was onto something. one day i suddenly felt horrible. i found that my mother used flour in a gravy the night before, so i became suspicious as to if i really was bothered by the gluten. 2 days later, i made the mistake of having soup in which the chicken stock contained gluten. this was last thursday. i felt absolutely terrible all the way up through today( over a week); there has been no relief. the last 4 days i have developed the worst headaches ive ever had, and ive also become severely irritable and depressed. i am really in bad shape. should i be going through a difficult time like this on my new diet? i do not think i have ever felt this bad before. should i give it more time? thank you so much for any help!

-dave

[Ursa Major]

Your present problem could be a couple of things. First of all, when you get glutened, you might feel sick for up to two weeks just from that.

You also sound like you might be going through gluten withdrawal. Yes, that's right, withdrawal, like drug withdrawal. With people who are gluten intolerant, gluten can act like an opiate on the brain, and you can be addicted to it. You just stopped taking this drug called gluten, and your brain doesn't like it a bit. So, now you are irritable, depressed, and all the other horrible withdrawal symptoms.

I am afraid that can go on for two to three weeks, before you will feel any better. Be patient, in a way this tough time is a good sign that you are on the right track. Don't give up, there is light at the end of the tunnel!

[jmengert]

Welcome to the boards--this is a great place to find information!

A lot of people here, myself included, went through a kind of withdrawal when we took away gluten. I had chest pains, nausea, and occasional horrible stomach cramps. They all resolved themselves in a couple of months (the nausea is the symptom that lingered with me the longest). However, if you continue to have these symptoms, there may be something else going on besides gluten withdrawal.

I hope you find some relief soon, and if you have any questions, this is the place to be!

[daron5780]

thanks so much for the replies. im pretty sure that i read i should go through a difficult time which would be similar to withdrawl, i guess i just needed to hear it from others who have been through it before.